


One Night

by Caides



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: F/F, Lesbian Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-20
Updated: 2014-12-20
Packaged: 2018-03-02 07:42:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2804828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caides/pseuds/Caides
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Padmé and Dormé spend one night together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Night

**_27 BBY_ **

Padmé Amidala lay awake in her Royal chambers, listening to the soft sound of the distant waterfalls and the few remaining birds as they sang themselves to sleep. It had been a beautiful summer’s day, but the sun had almost set behind the horizon as night prepared to claim victory over the day. She had hoped that the pleasant sounds would lull her to sleep. 

She had retired to bed early, on the advice of her trusted friend and adviser Governor Sio Bibble, for it had been a long time since she had had a decent night’s sleep. “Your Highness”, he had said to her, “the people of this world are not going to benefit from the reign of an exhausted Queen.” It was true, she had to admit. She did have the weight of her entire world on her young shoulders. She sighed softly to herself, and thought of the young girl she had been several years ago; a picture of innocence, before that innocence had been shattered like glass by the experience of war and the tangled web of politics. This was a less innocent time, a time in which the once great Republic was now controlled by “greedy, squabbling delegates,” to quote Senator Palpatine.  _Chancellor_  Palpatine, she reminded herself. Even after five years, she still sometimes found it hard to think of her old friend as the leader of the entire galaxy. In fact, there was a part of her that still didn’t quite believe that she was the Queen of Naboo, even though she was now well into her second term.

She certainly hadn’t set out in life with the goal of ultimately ruling the planet. Her dream had been to work in the Refugee Relief Movement, for she had always wanted to help people, and children in particular. She hadn’t dreamt at first of running for elected office, but the more of her planet’s history she studied, the more good she realized that politicians could do. So she had joined the Apprentice Legislators at the age of eight, and had been elected to Queen at fourteen. Naturally, she hadn’t been quite prepared for the incredible weight of responsibility, and even now there were days when she felt as if she were just breezing through her duties on autopilot, wishing that someone else could carry the burden, at least just for one day. She had eventually been forced to accept that she had chosen to run for election, and that despite her fatigue she had to continue to accept the consequences of that decision. Billions of people were counting on her to lead Naboo into the next phase of its history.

_Billions_  of people were counting on  _her_.

She quickly dismissed the thought from her mind, for she knew that if she were to dwell on that fact for any length of time she would surely suffer a mental collapse at the weight of it all. There were days when she profoundly doubted her own abilities. When she had been elected she had promised the people that worldwide reform was possible because she had firmly believed that it was, and they had embraced that dream wholeheartedly. The public had placed their trust in her, the young idealist, and it was this trust that had won her the election. Now she mused that it was quite possible that her youthful naivety had caused her to overestimate her abilities, and she now experienced a very real fear that she would let her people down. Was she really what the people of Naboo needed? For that matter, was this really what  _she_  needed from life?

She had recently turned nineteen years old, and her life so far had almost completely revolved around politics. She felt as if she had lived entirely for the benefit of others. She turned over and curled up into a foetal position, pulling her bedclothes up to her chin. She thought back to her childhood, and smiled at the memory of running through a meadow with several of her friends, and of she and those same friends spending their school retreat at Varykino and swimming out to a small island every day. She missed those days. She missed those people, for she had long ago lost touch with most of her school friends as a result of her choice of career. She let out a sigh, and wondered what they were all doing these days. Sensible things, no doubt, jobs that didn’t require putting their lives on hold to make everyone else’s just a little bit better.  _My goodness, how selfish_ , she thought. But was it selfish to want to put herself first for a change? She thought of something her older sister Sola had once said to her, “Padmé, selflessness is very commendable, but sometimes you have to know when to let yourself be selfish”. Sola had always been wise beyond her years, and Padmé had always valued her sage advice when they were growing up.

She realized that she could no longer hear the birds outside, for it was dark now. She let out a long sigh, and turned over onto her back. This was not the first night recently that she had spent tossing and turning, worrying about her many duties and responsibilities. When Bibble had suggested that she retire early, she had taken his advice in the hope that she would be able to realign her sleeping pattern, but it had now been over an hour since she had gone to bed and still her conscious mind would not shut down. For a time, when she had been in her early teens, there had been only one solution to a sleepless night that had ever actually worked, but she hadn’t put it into practice for a long while. Almost subconsciously, her right hand wandered under the bedclothes to her right leg, and she began to slowly caress her inner thigh. She closed her eyes and gently moved her hand toward her mound. She let out a small moan as, through the silk of her nightgown, she brushed the tip of her middle finger against her clitoris. Breathing more heavily now, she moved her left hand inside her nightdress and let it play lightly over her breasts. Her nipples began to harden, as she became more aroused. She then moved both hands to hoist the skirt of her nightdress to waist-level, lifting her bottom a few inches off the bed in order to do so. She spent a few minutes slowly rubbing her sex, running her fingers through the soft hair between her legs and letting her middle and index fingers alternate between massaging her clit in a circular motion and entering her slowly for a few seconds at a time.

After a while she began to get frustrated as climax continued to elude her. This had always worked in the past, but she was a little older now and, she mused, less able to please herself so easily. A faint smile played over her lips. Again, she considered that her life choices had led her to where she was and to become what she had become, and her position had precluded certain luxuries such as relationships. From an emotional perspective, this didn’t bother her, for she had made her own choices. However, physically, she had found herself getting increasingly sexually frustrated recently.

She resigned herself to the fact that she wasn’t going to achieve either pleasure or sleep any time soon, and decided to get up and pour herself a glass of water. She took a deep breath, making a conscious effort to deny her aching need for release, and got out of bed. As she rose she promptly stubbed her toe on her astromech ‘droid, R2-D2, who was sitting partially deactivated by her bed, ready to warn her of any intruders. “Ow!” she cried quietly in the darkness. Artoo snapped awake, and his domed head swivelled about, scanning the room. Padmé bit her lower lip as the pain subsided. It occurred to her that Artoo could have activated at any time during her act of pleasuring herself. She had gotten used to going about her business without giving much thought to her 'mech, but this time his presence had completely slipped her mind.

“It’s okay Artoo, it’s only me,” she said with a hint of embarrassment. The ‘droid let out a soft “ _wooo_ ” sound, and shone a beam of light around the room to help his mistress find her way. “Oh Artoo, what would I do without you?” 

Artoo beeped a reply, and she smiled, grateful both for the little ‘droid’s helpfulness and for the fact that his manufacturers had clearly programmed him with a sense of discretion. She made her way over to her desk, where there sat a large jug of water and a cup. She poured the drink and made a mental note to order a small bedside table for her room. She crossed to the large window and looked out over the rolling hills of pastoral Naboo, and drank. She would sleep soundly, she knew, if she were in her old bed at home. She had never cared much for these chambers for, as beautiful as they were, she had always felt that official residences lacked a certain warmth.

She was suddenly startled from her reverie by the door chime. She jumped and turned from the window. “Who is it?” she called out.

“Your Highness, it’s Dormé,” came the reply.

Padmé sighed. Dormé was one of her loyal handmaidens, and one of her most trusted friends. She hadn’t known the woman for very long, but the truth was that she didn’t have many friends anymore. She liked Dormé a lot, for the two seemed to have much in common, and the few times that she had socialized with her had made her feel… normal. She wondered what Dormé could possibly want at this hour, before remembering that it wasn’t actually that late. She reached for her blue robe and opened the door.

Her friend was wearing a simple yet elegant white dress that complimented her figure, and her hair was loosened into flowing curls. She looked beautiful, Padmé thought, and she suddenly felt very self-conscious of the silk nightgown she was wearing, and the fact that her hair was probably a mess. She wrapped the robe around herself and tied it at the waist, hoping that she didn't look too flustered. “What is it?” she asked nervously.

Dormé regarded her with a sense of embarrassment at clearly having disturbed her Queen.

“Oh, I’m very sorry to disturb you,” she said quickly.

“It’s alright, I wasn’t asleep.” Padmé stepped aside and welcomed her friend into the room.

“It’s just that…” Dormé continued, “well, earlier on in the throne room, you looked like you could do with some company and a little cheering up.”

Padmé was very used to Dormé speaking candidly to her. In fact, she had once asked her not to be so formal when speaking to her, for it was clear that Dormé looked up to her, and Padmé somehow felt that she didn’t deserve such adulation. “Did you?” Padmé asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m sorry,” Dormé replied, “I didn’t realize you’d settled down for the night. I can leave you alone if you’d wish…?”

“No,” Padmé was quick to reply, and a smile unexpectedly crept up on her. “You’re right, I probably could do with a little distraction from work.”

“Well yes, I could see that, and I came here figuring that you wouldn’t want to talk about ‘Royal duties’ or ‘official business’.” Dormé emphasized the words, and that somehow made them seem very unimportant.

Padmé smiled again. “You’ve come to know me too well,” she said. “Lights.” With that command, the lights came on in the room, and Padmé gestured for Dormé to sit on the bed. Artoo, deciding that all was well, shut down. Padmé joined her friend on the bed and relaxed a little, but she still felt tense.

“So, Your Highness,” Dormé began, “are you alright?”

Padmé regarded her friend with a look of gratitude for her concern. “I’m fine,” she replied with a smile.

Dormé raised an eyebrow, noting sadness in her Queen’s smile. “Hmm…” she said.

“What?” Padmé asked.

“You’re right, I have come to know you well, and I know when you’re not being entirely truthful, Padmé.”

Dormé’s unusual use of her first name caught Padmé by surprise, and with slight indignation at her friend’s challenge she replied, “Oh?”

“Your lips may smile but your eyes tell a different story.”

Padmé stared at her for just a moment. “What story do they tell?”

“One of a little girl frightened by having the weight of the world on her young shoulders…”

Padmé didn’t know what to say. No one had  _ever_  had the courage to say such a thing to her face. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again quickly.

“I’m sorry,” Dormé continued, “I didn’t mean to be so blunt.”

“It’s alright. Is… that what they say about me?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t presume to…” Dormé began, sounding a little nervous. “It’s just my own observation. It’s entirely understandable, and you’re usually very good at hiding your feelings but…” she spoke quickly before pausing for breath, “I can see it.”

“Usually?”

Dormé looked down, and Padmé silently admonished herself for being so transparent.

“Well, you’ve seemed a little… tense lately.”

“I’m not tense,” Padmé said quickly, a little more tersely than she had intended. Dormé couldn’t help but let out a giggle, and quickly turned on a straight face.

Padmé sighed, and laughed.

Dormé gave her a sympathetic look. “Well, at least you can still laugh at yourself,” she observed.

“Have I really been that bad?” Padmé asked, chuckling.

“Oh, I think we can make some allowances based on your  _actually_  having the weight of the world on your shoulders,” Dormé smiled.

“Alright, maybe I have been a little… distracted lately. I don’t think I can exactly be called a ‘little girl’ though,” she said with mock indignation, “you’re only a little older than I.” Besides, she thought, she had done more in her nineteen years than most people on Naboo had done in their entire lifetimes.

Padmé’s tongue seemed to be firmly in her cheek, but Dormé thought she detected an undercurrent of seriousness in the woman’s reaction, so she decided to back down rather than argue that Padmé had missed her point. “You’re right,” she conceded, “I apologize. So what’s been distracting you?”

Padmé paused for a moment, before answering. “I guess it’s all just been getting me down. I’ve been in service a long time and I’ve sacrificed a lot. I’ve been thinking about people I knew when I was little, and where they are now, and how much a part of me misses just being… one of them. Normal.”

“What’s ‘normal’?” Dormé asked rhetorically.

“You know what I mean. I just feel that there’s something… missing in my life, that for all the good I’ve done… a part of me wishes that I could have a normal life… friends, maybe a boyfriend, a nice job – something that carries less responsibility.”

“That’s only natural. You’re going through a phase of resenting the choices that led you here. It makes perfect sense that you would feel as if you had sacrificed a lot - ”

“But isn’t that selfish of me?” Padmé asked, cutting her off and placing a hand on Dormé’s leg.

“Not at all. It’s very human. Sometimes it’s okay to be selfish.”

“You sound like Sola,” Padmé said with a smile.

“Sola?”

“My sister. I’ll introduce you someday.”

“She sounds wise.”

Padmé laughed. “Yes she is, and when exactly did you become so insightful?”

Dormé smiled. “It’s a gift. So, what exactly is it that you regret giving up most? You certainly have friends, so is it the ‘normal’ job or the boyfriend?”

The question took Padmé by surprise. “Neither…”

Dormé looked at her quizzically.

“Both…” she added quickly. “I don’t know. Those were just examples.”

“But deep down, some part of you must yearn for those things. The desire for less responsibility is perfectly understandable, and to be expected of someone in your position – especially one so young, but what are you really missing out on?”

“I-I don’t know what you mean,” Padmé stammered.

“A relationship? Is that what this is about? A desire for intimacy?” The woman was getting a little too close for comfort.

“I… I don’t know. Maybe.” A sudden realization hit Dormé between the eyes. “Have you ever…?” The indelicate question had escaped her lips before she had engaged her brain and she caught herself before finishing it, but Padmé only looked away and shook her head. “No.”

_Of course_ , Dormé thought. Why would she have? When would she have had the chance? Suddenly a great deal of things made sense and something about the look of sad longing on Padmé’s face touched her in a profound way. “So, what are you afraid of? It’s still possible to have a relationship in your position.”

“No. It wouldn’t be fair…”

“What wouldn’t? To ask anyone to put himself or herself in that position?”

That made Padmé pause for thought. “Herself? I-I’m not…”

Dormé shifted uncomfortably. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to suggest…”

“It’s okay,” Padmé said quickly. “Yes, I guess you’re right. I just don’t think it would be fair to enter into a relationship with anyone while I’m still Queen. I wouldn’t be able to give them the attention they would need, and they…”

“They what?” Dormé pressed.

“They undoubtedly wouldn’t want to spend time with someone who put the welfare of everyone else before them.”

“You wouldn’t,” Dormé said with conviction. “If you were to ever truly fall in love you would find a place in your heart for that someone, no matter what the cost.”

“It’s that cost that I’m worried about,” Padmé said quietly.

Dormé looked Padmé in the eye. “Sorry, poor choice of words. I mean that you’d find the balance. You’re a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for sometimes.”

Padmé was lost for words. “I don’t always feel very strong.”

This was surprising coming from the young woman who, at the age of fourteen had liberated her planet from the oppression of the Trade Federation, but it struck Dormé as being understandable. Padmé was only human, after all. “Of course not,” she replied. “We all feel like that sometimes, which is why it sometimes takes others to remind us just how special we are.”

Padmé smiled, and this time Dormé noted that it was a genuine smile. “Thank you,” she said.

“You’re welcome,” Dormé replied. “Do you know how easy it would be for someone to fall for you, Padmé? I would imagine you’ve broken a million hearts from here to the Core worlds…”

Padmé blushed. She was sure it had been said with a friendly affection, to brighten her spirits, but there was a certain quality to the woman’s voice, and if she didn’t know any better she would have said that Dormé was flirting with her.

Dormé had to smile at the sight of the Queen of Naboo’s cheeks turning crimson as a result of a mere compliment. “You’re blushing!”

“No I’m not!” Padmé objected sternly with a hint of embarrassment.

“Yes, you are!” The pair began laughing, and Padmé playfully punched her friend’s shoulder. Dormé returned the gesture, and for the first time, the handmaiden saw the little girl behind the Queen’s eyes staring into her own. “What, Your Highness?” Dormé asked, subtly emphasizing the form of address with a playful irony.

“Nothing…” Padmé said. “It’s… just that I can’t remember the last time I found a true friend like you.”

Dormé beamed, and leaned forward to hug Padmé, who eagerly returned the embrace. They held each other for several moments, before Padmé slowly broke off the embrace and kissed Dormé gently on the cheek. Dormé blinked in surprise. “That was… informal,” she said with a laugh.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know why I did that,” Padmé said, genuinely surprised at herself. Dormé looked into her eyes.

“I do…” she said, her voice barely a whisper, before returning the kiss. This time however, their lips touched softly. Padmé’s heart was pounding, and her hands were sweating as she grabbed Dormé’s face and their kiss became more passionate. The experience ended abruptly, as Padmé gasped and broke off the kiss as the shock set in. The girls sat for a moment, breathing heavily, before Dormé broke the silence. “I’m sorry. That just felt… natural.”

“I… I know.” Padmé had felt herself becoming aroused by Dormé, and had been unable to fight when the pure sexual urge took over. As if reading her mind, Dormé said, “Don’t fight it.” She placed a hand on Padmé’s cheek. “Just give in to the moment.” It was an enticing recommendation. And in a second, Padmé weighed up the situation and made a decision. She  _needed_  this. She needed this woman, her friend. She needed to feel loved, and more than anything she needed the physical release. Padmé leaned in and kissed the girl with ferocity that surprised them both. Gone was the tenderness with which their lips had first met, to be replaced with a desperation that spoke of Padmé’s intense desire. In spite of that desperation, there was an intensely focused skill at work that seemed to come naturally.

Given the young woman’s virginity, Dormé was impressed by her soon-to-be-lover’s newfound prowess, and decided to go with the flow. She allowed Padmé to push her onto her back and she fully expected the girl to jump on top of her. Instead, panting heavily, Padmé removed her nightgown and lay on her side next to Dormé, continuing to kiss her for a few moments before unexpectedly moving down to her feet. She then began to plant small kisses along Dormé’s inside leg, slowly lifting the woman’s dress up the length of her body as she went. Dormé couldn’t believe what was happening. She closed her eyes and felt as if she were dreaming while floating in mid-air. She could feel the cool air flowing from the room’s ventilation system making her skin tingle as her legs became more and more exposed. She opened her eyes and realized that Padmé had by now passed her knees and almost reached her mound. Dormé gasped as Padmé kissed her way along her inner thigh. She lifted herself off the bed slightly, allowing Padmé to lift her dress far enough to expose her underwear, then opened her eyes and looked down at Padmé, who looked up at her with an expression on her face that seemed to ask permission to go further. When Dormé nodded, Padmé inserted both her index fingers into the waistband of Dormé’s panties and Dormé allowed her to pull them down over her legs, helping her by bending her knees and lifting her bottom off the bed. Padmé quickly dropped them to the floor and lifted Dormé’s dress up even further past her breasts, leaving her now totally exposed.

Padmé knelt up on the bed, straddling Dormé’s legs, and took in the view before her. She had never been sexually attracted to a woman before, but she currently felt turned on by this woman in a way she had never thought possible. Dormé had an attractive, shapely figure with long, slender legs and curves that made Padmé envious. Her pubic hair was trimmed neatly - her cleft was just visible through it - and her breasts were extremely firm. Her nipples were erect, and Padmé couldn’t resist going for them. In a move that struck Dormé as being impressively nimble, Padmé leaned her upper body down and took her left nipple in her mouth.

Dormé writhed beneath Padmé as the older girl suckled happily on her breast, like a newborn feeding from its mother. As Padmé began to circle Dormé’s nipple with her tongue, it struck Dormé that she was at a disadvantage. Dormé placed her hands on Padmé’s hips to steady her, and quickly pulled the woman’s nightdress up and over her head, stripping her in just a few seconds. Padmé helped her along and quickly discarded the nightdress before finally pulling Dormé’s dress off completely. Padmé now sat straddling Dormé’s thighs, and so Dormé sat up to face her, so that Padmé was now straddling her lap. Padmé wrapped her arms and legs tightly around Dormé, who returned the embrace tightly. Both now completely naked, their bodies entwined, they could feel each other’s heartbeats and the warmth of each other’s bodies as their blood burned like the Tatooine suns.

They kissed again. Dormé decided to take charge, and she rolled the pair of them over on the bed so that she was now on top. Padmé gave a shriek of delight, and Dormé grinned, as she looked Padmé’s nude form up and down for the first time and felt giddy at the sight of her natural beauty. Dormé teased her hands over Padmé’s breasts for a little while, before moving down to return the action of sucking on them and flicking her tongue lightly across her nipples. She then licked her way down Padmé’s toned body, eliciting small moans and gasps of pleasure as she circled Padmé’s navel with her tongue before moving further down to the soft, delicate curls of Padmé’s mound. The intoxicating scent of Padmé’s arousal filled the air, and Dormé took a deep breath, noting just how wet for her the woman was.

She moved in slowly, and gently touched the tip of her tongue against Padmé’s sensitive clit. The first touch nearly made Padmé jump through the roof, and Dormé had to smile as Padmé gripped the bedclothes as if holding on for dear life. The taste nearly made Dormé come there and then, but she held out for Padmé as the other girl writhed on the bed, moaning and gasping and letting out the occasional shriek. Dormé made a swirling motion with her tongue, occasionally sucking and flicking Padmé’s clit with expert precision and vibrating her lips against it by making a humming noise. Dormé could sense that Padmé wasn’t going to last much longer and indeed that the woman was desperately fighting to hold out as long as she possibly could.

Padmé felt as if the room was spinning… or maybe it was just her head. Yes, she realized her head was spinning. She was confused, exhilarated, and about a dozen other indescribable emotions in between. She felt… new. All of her worries just didn’t seem to matter at this precise moment, and Padmé felt loved in a way that she hadn’t in a long time. As this thought washed over her, she felt her first orgasm build, and she cried out and grasped Dormé’s head, pushing the woman deeper into her as she came and came uncontrollably, her body convulsing. She closed her eyes tightly, and saw stars. The sensation rose and fell, seeming to start in her toes and at the top of her head and converge at the core of her being. The sensation lasted about ten seconds, and for a moment as the climax subsided, she didn’t know where she was. Suddenly reality came flooding back as the intense feeling began to subside, and she felt an overwhelming wave of contentment, every inch of her skin tingling. Smiling, she lay still for a few minutes in Dormé's embrace.

Padmé eventually forced herself to show Dormé just how much she appreciated what the woman had done for her. She indicated to Dormé to lie next to her, and moved between the woman’s legs. She then proceeded to do to Dormé what Dormé had done to her, remembering certain moves and tricks that Dormé had used. She gently pressed her lips to Dormé's clit, and began to hum. As the vibration caused Dormé to writhe in ecstasy, Padmé carefully inserted two fingers into her lover's vagina. She then pumped furiously in and out of the woman's soaking passage, all the while continuing to hum and occasionally flick her tongue over Dormé's clit.

The woman climaxed quickly, crying out in ecstasy and gasping Padmé's name twice. Padmé smiled wickedly, and with a graceful slink she moved up the bed and whispered in the woman’s ear, her voice sultry, “You’re going to regret teaching me that…”

Dormé giggled, and embraced Padmé, wrapping her arms around her lovingly. For the next two hours, the pair continued to explore each other, and although Dormé managed to climax three times, Padmé refused to allow Dormé to go all the way and take her virginity. Dormé began to wonder what this night truly meant for Padmé. She hoped that if nothing else the Queen had had an experience that she would treasure and that it had given her a long-needed release and a chance to let herself go a little, but was it wrong of her to hope for something more?

Padmé felt like a girl again. Or rather like herself again… Padmé Naberrie, and not Queen Amidala. Perversely, through this completely new and very adult experience, she felt as if she had achieved a sense of innocence the like of which she had not felt in years. While that innocence was a welcome respite from constantly feeling the weight of responsibility, it didn’t prevent her from smiling wickedly as Dormé screamed in ecstasy as she came for the third time. The scream echoed around the room, before becoming a joyous laugh.

* * * *

**_22 BBY - Five Years Later_ **

The massive spaceport was a bustling hive of activity. Passengers of varying species boarded and disembarked from the docked starships as the dock workers oversaw the automated process of loading and unloading their luggage. The Transport Bus touched down on the landing platform, and Dormé rose from her seat and moved to the front of the bus, where Senator Amidala and Captain Typho now stood opposite Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and his young Padawan Anakin Skywalker.

The former Queen had recently returned to Coruscant to vote in the Senate against the Military Creation Act, which would provide a grand army for the Republic to counter the increasing threat of Count Dooku’s separatist movement. Amidala, a staunch advocate of peace and democracy, had been opposed to the idea of militarizing the Republic ever since the proposal had first been made. She had twice almost paid the ultimate price for her idealism, firstly when her ship had exploded on its landing platform almost as soon as it had touched down on the Core World, and secondly when she had been targeted in her own bedroom in her Coruscant apartment. The female Clawdite assassin had been tracked down by Kenobi and Skywalker, but she in turn had been killed by whomever had hired her. So the Jedi Council had dispatched Obi-Wan to track down the mysterious figure who so wanted the Senator dead while Anakin had been assigned to escort Padmé back to Naboo for her own protection.

The Senator was only alive now because of her security precaution of allowing her handmaiden Cordé to double for her as a decoy. Cordé, along with six others, had tragically died in the ship explosion in Amidala’s place. Dormé had been profoundly shaken by the loss of some of her closest friends and acquaintances, and the shock of almost losing Padmé.

“Be safe, M’Lady”, came the voice of Captain Typho, shaking Dormé out of her reverie. The man’s voice was laden with worry, and it had been clear that he was in no way satisfied with the plan of sending Padmé into hiding on her home planet. Although Padmé knew her planet very well, there was a part of Dormé that shared Typho’s fear that Naboo was not necessarily the safest place to hide, especially when she considered that Padmé was a well-known influential figure in the Senate. Thus it would probably be easy for any potential assassin to track her down quickly by searching Naboo before anywhere else.

“Thank you, Captain,” Padmé replied. “Take good care of Dormé… The threat’s on you two now.”

It warmed Dormé’s heart to know that Padmé cared for her a great deal. She had long held a very special place in her heart for Padmé ever since that night five years earlier and it occurred to her now that it was entirely possible that she would never see the woman again. As the thought sent a chill down her spine, she put on a brave face and tried to lighten the mood with a joke. “He’ll be safe with me,” she quipped, referring to Captain Typho, who smiled weakly. She suddenly found herself unable to contain her emotions, and began to weep silently.

Padmé regarded her with a sad look of compassion, as if she too were struggling to retain her composure. Following their night of passion, she had told Dormé that although she truthfully did not regret what had happened between them, it could not have gone any further. Dormé had appeared to accept this with good grace and the two of them had vowed to remain friends. However, Padmé sensed a slight unspoken tension that greatly upset her. The handmaiden had conducted her duties with unwavering loyalty, continuing to refer to her by her formal titles as a sign of respect and formality, but Padmé had often wished to hear Dormé call her by her name once more. She loved Dormé, or at least a part of her did, but not in the way that she suspected that Dormé would have liked. They were two great friends who had become almost like sisters, and indeed, Padmé still told Dormé things that she would never even tell Sola, but Padmé had her suspicions that Dormé’s feelings ran a little deeper. That night had seen them getting carried away and taking their relationship a step too far, and despite her enjoyment of the act and the good that it had done her at the time, she had often chastised herself since for so freely giving herself over to Dormé. It had clearly given her an unrealistic expectation of what their relationship could be. “You’ll be fine,” she said simply.

“It’s not me, M’Lady,” Dormé said through her tears, “I worry about you. What if they realise you’ve left the Capital?”

There was genuine fear in the woman’s eyes not just for her, Padmé realized, but for herself. She had lost several close friends in the last few days, and it now struck Padmé that Dormé wouldn’t know what to do if she lost her too. Trying to sound as reassuring as a possible, Padmé replied with a forced smile. “Well, then my Jedi protector will have to prove how good he is.” That at least raised a small smile from Dormé, even if Padmé was already berating herself for emphasizing the fact that she was about to go into seclusion with a handsome young man, whom Dormé had already witnessed being extremely flirtatious with her while they had been packing for their trip earlier that day.

Dormé could see clearly that Anakin harbored feelings for Padmé. She understood that the two had first met ten years ago when Anakin had been a child, and Dormé supposed that Anakin’s childlike affection for Padmé could possibly have matured into something more. What scared her was the possibility that Padmé might reciprocate. As Padmé embraced her, Dormé chastised herself for being so selfish. It was painful to hold her like this, but she had to remain strong now for Padmé. Padmé broke off the hug and wiped a tear from Dormé’s cheek, as Obi-Wan Kenobi moved from conferring with Anakin to speak to her.

“I will get to the bottom of this plot quickly, M’Lady. You’ll be back here in no time,” the Jedi Master said, reassuringly. “I will be most grateful for your speed, Master Jedi,” Padmé replied.

Anakin spoke quietly to Padmé. “It’s time to go.”

“I know.” Padmé gave Dormé a final hug, as Anakin picked up two containers of their luggage and exited the bus, followed by Padmé, who carried one. They would be traveling incognito as refugees rather than using registered transport, and so the two peasants started off on their journey.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan called after him; “may the Force be with you.”

“May the Force be with you, Master.”

The expression of sadness on Dormé’s face and the fear in her eyes had burned into Padmé’s soul. “Suddenly I’m afraid,” she said, and it struck her that her voice had taken on a soft childlike quality.

“This is my first assignment on my own, I am too,” Anakin replied, and then looking at the little Astro ‘droid trundling along behind them, he added, “but don’t worry, we have Artoo with us…”

Dormé watched them as they walked away, and saw Padmé laugh heartily for the first time since the recent crisis had begun. At least he makes her laugh… she thought to herself.

“I do hope he doesn’t try anything foolish,” Obi-Wan remarked to Typho. The Captain replied with a smile, “I’d be more worried about her doing something, than him…”

That was her Padmé, always so passionate. Although, Dormé mused, she had never known Padmé Amidala to be a slave to her passions. She felt a wave of emotion wash over her as the woman she loved walked out of her life, possibly for the last time, but what mattered was that Padmé was happy. As she watched the freighter take off, she thought of the single night they had spent together, and allowed herself a little smile. She would treasure the memory, but it was now time to move on. She hoped and prayed that Padmé too would have the chance to find love, even if she was destined to be with someone else.

“Be happy, Padmé,” she said under her breath. “Have a long and happy life.”

* * * *


End file.
